Whale-watching season in full swing

NORTH COUNTY - While she has spotted gray whales near places
like Victoria, Canada, Cheryl Spiro took a boat tour Saturday in
her "own backyard" try to catch another glimpse of the large
mammals as they migrate south.

"It is wonderful to see them in their natural habitat," said
Spiro, of Carlsbad, on the whale watching tour out of Oceanside. "I
just can't get enough."

Whale watching is in full swing along the San Diego coast as
boat tours offer people like Spiro a chance to see the migration of
gray whales as they travel from the arctic to the lagoons of Baja,
Mexico.

The seasonal activity begins in December and generally ends
around April 1.

Spiro said the excitement of actually spotting the whale is much
better than the search.

"When you first see the spout of water from the boat, it's so
exciting," said Spiro, who was aboard the Oceanside 95, a Helgren's
Sportfishing boat. The company, which also has deep sea fishing
tours, offers whale watching tours throughout the season.

The people aboard the tour Saturday scanned the ocean looking
for a spout of water that would indicate the giant mammal's
presence. For the most part, their eyes rarely left the blue waters
as they searched for signs.

There was a flurry of excitement when watchers saw dolphins
swimming nearby with sea lions, but some were disappointed that
they didn't see a gray whale.

Spiro said she believes that's a chance worth taking.

"I love the peacefulness," she said. "I never tire of it."

A variety of companies are offering the tours along the San
Diego County coast, including San Diego Harbor Excursion and the
Hornblower Cruise and Events. The tours range from several hours to
numerous days, and costs vary. Many of the companies even offer a
free chance to take another tour if visitors don't luck out the
first time.

Crystal De Soto, the whale program lead for Birch Aquarium at
Scripps, said the whale watching season occurs when gray whales
migrate from the arctic to the lagoons near Baja, Mexico, where
many of them mate or deliver their babies in the warm and protected
waters.

De Soto said Birch Aquarium teamed up with San Diego Harbor
Excursion seven years ago to offer daily tours to educate people on
the process. She said she arranges for naturalists and volunteers
from the aquarium to attend the tours to talk about gray whales
with facts and artifacts.

Whale watching is like "a safari, but out in the ocean," she
said, especially since the trick is to catch whales "migrating by
at just the right time."

Of the estimated population of 22,000 gray whales, she said many
of them will make the trip.

De Soto said seeing a whale can be difficult to guarantee,
especially since they travel by themselves or in small pods. She
said tour captains take people where they are likely to see a whale
as well as share information about sightings with other boats.